Consumers are being hit with high credit card charges. Source: Supplied

Shoppers are being slugged up to 17 per cent in credit card fees

Airlines and Cabcharge worst offenders

New rules set by Reserve Bank are being ignored

EVER booked a cheap flight only to be hit with a huge fee? Or been shocked at your online shopping bill? Research shows we're paying up to 17 per cent in surcharge costs.

A survey by consumer advocate CHOICE found nearly 80 per cent of Australians used their credit cards in the last three months, with around half saying they were not offered a surcharge-free way to pay.

Airlines were some of the worst offenders, flouting rules set by the Reserve Bank of Australia to limit the amount a company can charge for the "reasonable costs for processing a transaction."

"It's now 72 days since the rules came into effect and in this time, the worst excessive surcharging offenders – Cabcharge, Qantas, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Tiger – have continued charging Australians millions more in surcharges than it costs to process these transactions" said CHOICE CEO Alan Kirkland.

The advocacy group has referred the issue to the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council, and welcomed government intervention, saying the rules are clearly not working as intended.

"We urgently need strong enforcement and policing of the surcharging rules, beyond what Visa and MasterCard can bring to bear through their commercial dealings," Mr Kirkland said.

CHOICE analysis found a family of four flying from Brisbane to a range of destinations could pay surcharges reaching as much as 17 per cent of the total fare.

"For a family with two kids flying from Brisbane to Sydney return with Tiger, $49.95 per flight might look like a cheap ticket, but when you add $68 in surcharges, that's a staggering 17% of the fare's price," says Mr Kirkland.

"Excessive surcharges can be a real sting in the tail, turning what looks like a bargain into something more expensive, especially when so many consumers say they are not being offered another option." he said.

The group is calling on Australians to 'dob in a dodgy surcharge' by going to choice.com.au/takecharge and sharing examples of excessive credit card fees.

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